Homebuilders are once again seeing Gilbert as a land of opportunity as they build hundreds of new houses each month, making the town by far Arizona’s fastest-growing community last year.

For two consecutive years, Gilbert has issued more single-family home permits than any other Arizona municipality, according to data from town officials and the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.

Last year, the town issued nearly 50percent more new-home permits than Phoenix, which was second on the list.

After receiving national attention for its rapid growth rate in the 1990s and early 2000s, Gilbert appears to be emerging from the recession in similar fashion, though homebuilding has not yet reached the peak levels seen eight years ago.

With an average household size of three people, Gilbert’s issuing of 2,430 new-home permits in 2012 could add about 7,500 residents to its population, which the U.S. Census Bureau estimated to be about 212,000 in 2011.

Much of the growth has been concentrated in the town’s neighborhoods south of the Santan Freeway, data show.

The town issued nearly 300 home permits for the sprawling Power Ranch master-planned community and nearly 200 permits for Seville. Other high-activity areas included Freeman Farms, Lyons Gate and Layton Lakes, all south of Loop202.

The residential surge puts added pressure on town workers to maintain service levels, and interim Deputy Development Services Director Kyle Mieras, whose department is responsible for reviewing construction plans and issuing permits, said it impacts the department’s workload substantially.

Homebuilders’ construction plans are reviewed by town officials, who analyze the effect on traffic, schools and municipal services. Although it is rare for the town to reject a proposal, developers often work with officials and nearby residents to make changes to plans before they are approved by the Planning Commission.

“It impacts every single division in Development Services,” Mieras said. “We’re increasing the workload, but we’re not increasing the staffing. So, we have to make sure our processes are streamlined and in place so that we can handle the influx.”

New-home construction has a significant impact on the town’s budget, bringing in system-development fees that can be used to build infrastructure. Construction sales-tax revenue provides a one-time boost to the general fund.

Budget planners do not count on construction-related revenue as a long-term source of income, however, and Budget Manager Dawn Irvine said that “rooftops don’t pay for themselves,” especially in a community that doesn’t rely much on property-tax revenue.

Still, the addition of new homes and residents can spark commercial development, which tends to lag behind residential. Irvine said there are “many great things” on the horizon for commercial development, which can create jobs and generate crucial sales-tax revenue for the town’s general fund.

Some of that commercial construction is already happening. A large furniture warehouse and showroom recently announced plans to open in Gilbert this year, and the town is seeing gains in its health-care industry and office inventory.

Gilbert police Sgt. Jesse Sanger, on the other hand, said the growth rate has not translated to an increase in demand for police services.

Over the past two fiscal years, the Gilbert Police Department has seen about a 1percent increase in calls for service, and that pace is holding steady this year, Sanger said.

Police staffing plans are not based on population numbers. The department uses software to base needs on workload and service goals, Sanger said.

Gilbert’s housing boom is likely driven somewhat by a significant drop in foreclosure inventory, said Michael IlesCremieux, vice president of land for Meritage Homes.

At the height of the recession, metro Phoenix had about 60,000 existing homes for sale, but that number has dropped to about 20,000, or one to two months of supply, IlesCremieux said.

“We have a dramatic shortage of supply,” he said. “It’s amazing to even say that, considering where we were.”

IlesCremieux said the town’s great school districts, shopping and master-planned communities make it a favorite for prospective residents.

About 95percent of Gilbert’s housing inventory is single-family detached residences, according to the town’s General Plan. A Maricopa Association of Governments report estimated there were about 74,000 homes in Gilbert in 2009, but the report suggests that number could grow to 92,000 in 2020 and 109,000 in 2030.

Gilbert is about two-thirds built out, and officials expect the town’s population to reach about 330,000 by 2030.

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